Posted on 08/19/2008 7:53:34 AM PDT by SmithL
Residents of the Castro are watching with growing concern as their neighborhood becomes a regular attraction on the sightseeing tour of the city.
In the last three months, large tour buses have begun to park in the area on Thursday and Sunday afternoons, opening their doors and sending hundreds of tourists out to gawk and snap photos of the exotic sight of two men holding hands.
For gay and lesbian residents, who are doing nothing more remarkable than, say, walking over to Cliff's Hardware Store, the idea that as many as six tour buses could turn up at once seems bizarre. They also worry that the upcoming release of the movie "Milk," based on the life story of Castro Street politician Harvey Milk, will just be another step toward turning the Castro into a kind of urban theme park for looky-loos.
"It is the spectacle of people who might be different. That's all it is," said attorney Rob Guite, a Castro resident. "The tourists appear to have little regard for the neighborhood and its residents and view the stop as akin to visiting a zoo or other attraction where they are entertained by exhibits or animals."
Castro residents long ago grew accustomed to visitors strolling down the streets in ones and twos, snapping photos of the rainbow flag over Harvey Milk Plaza. There's even a thriving business providing tours for gay and lesbian vacationers from all over the world.
"God knows we love tourists," said Patrick Batt, who has owned the Auto Erotica vintage gay porn shop for 28 years. "But these people are a bunch of gawkers."
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha !!!!!
“Hey maw, look at the little pointy-haired gay dude!”
It is the same reason people are attracted to the Zoo.
Yep. That's pretty much it.
LOL...if they don’t like it, they can stop making a spectacle of themselves.
Turnabout is fair play.
"Oh, I went to SF to see homosexuals".
It's been a regular attraction for aids, etc. Why aren't the residents concerned about THAT?
People go to zoos and watch freak shows on TV and at circuses. Nothing unusual here.
2) I thought the entire homosexual lifestyle was built around "look at me, look at ME, LOOK AT MEEEEEEE!"?
Well, the perv’s brought it on themselves. Isn’t this the city that hosts the gay celebration in which the perv’s do each other, themselves and anything else handy and do it in public? They seem to have no problems sucking, jacking and screwing their partners in full view and with total disregard for decency, but get offended because normal people want to go to see the freak show.
The tour bus drivers should sell little bags of Godiva chocolates that the tourist can use to entice the locals closer for better pictures...
Who knew...Homosexuals are Racists too
On the other hand, it’s pretty hard to go there and NOT see them.
...in “native” attire!!!
If they do then we'll start to see signs that say:
Please don't feed the fags
Cliff's Hardware Store
Ugh... No comment.
Maybe they should change the name San Francisco to Freakshow.
The Revenge of the Tourists.
They’ve been holding Gay Pride parades and PR events for years. They’ve been screaming about Gay Rights at the top of their lungs.
What else does fame draw but tourists?
Even the little kiddies can enjoy this zoo, thanks to the new education in our public schools. “Look, mummy! There’s a gay couple just like the ones in our picture books back in kindergarten!”
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